Upholding Tradition
by steph2009
Summary: "What is Valentine's Day?"Gaara questions; Hinata overhears and tries to do something nice for the Sand ninja. Valentine's Day is, after all, a tradition that no one should miss out on.
1. Chapter 1

**Upholding Tradition**

**Summary: **"What is Valentine's Day?"Gaara questions; Hinata overhears and tries to do something nice for the Sand ninja. Valentine's Day is, after all, a tradition that no one should miss out on.

**Disclaimer: **Naruto does not belong to me.

**Chapter One**

Gaara was vaguely aware of the movements from his siblings as they readied to start their day. His light green eyes narrowed slightly as he caught sight of movement outside of their hotel. From the glimpse he had seen, it was a small girl around his age. Her hair was a deep, deep blue color and she wore a tan, baggy jacket. He wondered who she was and what she was doing. Gaara was pulled from his musing by Kankuro's surprised exclamation. The redhead glanced away from the window toward his brother with a dark look. The older teen did nothing but pick up the objects that had caused his exclamation. He turned around with a wide smile. His arms were filled with purple and red boxes.

"Look!" He exclaimed extending his arms toward Temari and Gaara. "Gaara and I got Valentines!" Gaara eyed the small boxes in his brother's hands with part wonder and part suspicion. His brother had once attempted to explain Valentines' Day to him. It was a day when women gave treats to men that they respected or loved. Gaara looked up from the colored boxes to his brother as he extended one toward him.

"Wait, how do you know which one is Gaara's?" Temari asked suddenly. To be honest, the blonde was just as suspicious of the gifts as her brother. This was their first time in Konoha. They were competing against the ninjas here. Why would a citizen of Konoha give her brothers candies?

"Hello?" Kankuro drawled as he pointed toward the color of Gaara's hair and then the color of the box. "Kind of obvious." Temari sighed.

"Only if you think simply," Gaara drawled Temari's thoughts. Kankuro pouted slightly, but even his slightly scary younger brother's quip did nothing to dampen his excitement. He couldn't help but watch however as Gaara opened his slowly. Guilt and sadness stabbed the two older siblings as they watched the way Gaara slowly lifted the lid. His sand was hovering just inches away from the box, ready to attack it at the sign of a trap. Temari and Kankuro froze however as Gaara's eyes lit up slightly. The blonde teen peeked over at his gift. Broiled beef tongue with salt sprinkled on the meat sat inside the box.

"Ah," Temari noticed, "Gaara, look. There's a note." She dared not reach for the note herself. Gaara had taught her early own not to touch his things or even his person. Gaara extracted the note slowly and unfolded it. "Dear Gaara-san," Temari read over his shoulder, "I chose broiled beef tongues for you because they are very popular in Suna and you don't look like a sweets man. If you do not like them, I am sorry." Temari followed the movement of the note as Gaara flipped it. "Huh," Temari mumbled, "there's no name." The amount of thought the anonymous girl poured into Gaara's gift did not go unnoticed by the three siblings. Temari turned toward Kankuro and watched him open his. His eyes lit up more than Gaara's. In fact, he seemed to almost burst at the seams. "What'd you get?" Kankuro's chuckles turned into full blown laughter as he turned it toward them. Small puppet shaped chocolates faced the two siblings. A small smirk of amusement came onto Temari's lips. Gaara only raised his eyebrows.

"I want to meet this girl," Kankuro exploded through his laughter. For once, Gaara could agree with his brother. He too wanted to meet this woman. He eyed the broiled beef tongues that sat in the box with both glee and caution. "Go ahead, man," Kankuro stated as he stuffed a piece of chocolate into his mouth. "They're cool." Gaara turned his sea foam colored eyes back to the broiled beef tongues and picked up one slowly. He nibbled on it slightly. What happened in that next moment left Temari and Kankuro holding back the urge to glomp their younger brother; his usually stony expression had melted into something so adorable. It almost made them forget that their brother was increasingly unstable and held a demon that thirsted for blood inside of his body. Just for that expression, Temari wanted to go find and hug the girl that had left these gifts outside their door.

**X**

Hinata Hyuuga leaned against the wall of the hotel the sand siblings were housed in and sighed. She brought her hand up over her heart and forced it to slow down. She was certain that Gaara had caught her as she left. She had felt his heavy gaze on her as she walked away. She looked back up at the window to see Gaara sitting there with a piece of broiled beef tongue in his mouth. A large blush spread across her face as she saw the look on his.

_'So cute…' _She thought as she pushed her hands up to her mouth to refrain from squealing at his expression. She couldn't help but think about the driving force behind her actions.

_"What is this Valentine's day?" She overheard a redheaded boy ask an older body. Hinata peaked out behind a tree to see them. Hinata had been on the way to meet her team mates when the question had been asked. Her eyebrows furrowed. How did he not know what Valentine's Day was? She listened closely as the boy answered the younger one._

_ "It's a day where girls give you gifts, Gaara," the older boy told him. Gaara tilted his head slightly. _

_ "Like what?" Gaara asked. The older boy laid a hand on the younger one's shoulder and pulled him closer to him. Hinata tilted her head at the tense look that overcame Gaara's face._

_ "Um…well, it can really be anything. Chocolate is very common," the older boy explained. She watched Gaara furrow his eyebrows and push the older boy off of him. The glare seemed to freeze the older boy._

_ "I don't like sweets," Gaara grumbled._

_ "I know you don't. I know," the older boy sighed._

_ "Kankuro, Gaara, come on!" A tall blonde hollered at the two boys. Hinata gave a small sigh and slipped out from behind the tree when she thought the coast was clear. Hinata bit into her bottom lip and hurried to meet her teammates. _

The idea that Gaara had never had a Valentine's Day gift had nagged at her all week. Normally, she would not have done such a thing for a stranger. She clutched her next gift closer to her heart and ran toward Naruto's apartment. Maybe there was enough time to slip the chocolates into the hallway of Naruto's apartment before he began his day. Her teammates, her cousin, and her crush were usually the only ones to receive a Valentine's Day gift from her, but something about Gaara's eyes when he had heard Kankuro's answer had moved her.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: **This story's been sitting around in my computer for a while just waiting for me to post it. This could be looked as a friendship or romance fanfiction. It could really work as both.)


	2. Chapter 2

**Upholding Tradition**

**Chapter Two**

_**A Year Later**_

Shikamaru gave an annoyed sigh at the sound of his parents starting in on one another so early in the morning. He sat up sluggishly and yawned. He glanced over at his alarm clock with a small huff.

"Nine a.m.…man!" he groaned, flopping back onto his bed. Suddenly, the face of the woman from his dreams drifted into his mind. Temari of the Sand had been floating through his mind ever since after the Chunin exams. Shikamaru pushed himself up from the bed and slipped out from underneath the covers sluggishly. A small pick-me-up came for him when he recalled that three days had passed. Temari's letter should be in. He dressed quickly and bolted from his bedroom window. Shikamaru leapt past the houses that stood in the way of his target: the hawk house. He was so eager to see if Temari had replied to his letter. He stopped and nearly fell into through the window as he spotted Hinata Hyuuga releasing a bird. "Hey, Hinata!" He greeted loudly. The small girl jumped slightly and twirled around. "What are you doing up this early?"

"Just se-se-sending a let-let-letter to a fri-fri-friend, Shikamaru-kun," Hinata whispered as she pushed her fingertips together nervously. She furrowed her brow in annoyance at her stutter.

"Yeah, me too. It's troublesome, but…" He jumped down from the window and put his hand behind his head. Hinata looked away from him as he rubbed his neck. "Well, I'm really checking to see if the hawk I sent out has anything for me." Hinata pushed her finger up to her lips and stepped out of his way.

"Well," Hinata mumbled, "I'll be go-going then, Shikamaru-kun." Before Shikamaru could open his mouth, Hinata was gone. The small girl's cheeks were blood red as she ran. _'Oh…if Shikamaru-kun had seen me…I would have died…' _Hinata thought as she leapt from house top to house top. Her heart was pounding nearly out of her chest. Her cheeks reddened even farther as she thought of the face that Gaara would wear when he picked up the present.

Despite a year passing by already, Hinata hadn't forgotten that delighted, adorable face. She smiled. She added salt to them this time. She hoped that he wouldn't mind too much. Hinata touched down in the clearing that her team was supposed to meet at. As she leaned against the tree to wait, the image of Gaara's adorable look from that year ago flashed through her mind. She blushed heavily and touched her fingertip to her lips again.

"Oi! Hinata! You ready?!" Kiba hollered in greeting. Hinata jumped and waved quickly.

"H-Hai!"

**X**

"Hey, bro!" Kankuro interrupted Gaara's training. The redhead jerked away from the post with an almost audible sigh of aggravation.

"What?" He demanded. Kankuro flinched at the tone, but tossed the package to him. Gaara caught it with the sand and was about to crush it when the scent coming from it distracted him. His mouth watered slightly at the smell of broiled beef tongue. He drew the package closer and opened it slowly. He dumped the box out of the package. It was the same packaging as last year. He glanced over at the date: February 14th, Valentine's Day. He opened it quickly.

Kankuro couldn't help but watch his little brother's expression. It was the most unguarded Kankuro had ever seen his brother. He eyed the tie that had fluttered to the floor in his brother's excitement. His eyes widened. It was the same girl as before. The very same one that gave him puppet shaped chocolates. He frowned slightly. Nothing had come for him.

Gaara removed a piece of broiled beef tongue and popped it into his mouth. He didn't know why, but he trusted a stranger. She hadn't poisoned it last year, what reason would she have this year? Kankuro covered his face in his hand at the expression. It was the same as last year. That adorable, blissful look once more touched his brother's face. Kankuro suddenly frowned. Suna served the broiled beef tongue as well, but Gaara had never made a face like that.

"Is it good, little brother?" Kankuro asked, completely curious. Gaara glared up at him, but the effect was ruined by the piece of beef tongue he held to his mouth.

"Yes," Gaara answered shortly. Kankuro, encouraged by his answer, scooted closer to his younger brother.

"Why is it different from Suna's own broiled beef tongue?" Kankuro asked. Gaara's glare became heavier. Kankuro attempted not to let it get to him. Ever since the fight between Gaara and Naruto, his little brother had become less hostile, but Kankuro couldn't be too sure. Gaara nodded.

"They're cooked differently," Gaara muttered. Kankuro waited for an explanation but Gaara did not elaborate any further. Kankuro frowned slightly but knew better than to press his brother any further.

"Well, little brother, happy eating," he bid him farewell. Gaara only nodded. The fourteen year old redhead was delighted with the taste, but he was still bothered that he did not know who this young girl was. For a quick second, Gaara wished that he had been in Konoha like last time. Maybe he would have been able to catch the young girl in the act of leaving them. The image of the young lady in a large jacket flashed into his mind. He had thought on her for a while. The timeline fit. It was possible that it had been her. He closed his eyes and thought back to the Chunin exams. The very same girl had lost to her cousin. He furrowed his eyebrow as he pondered farther. Her name…escaped him. His eyes widened as it came to him.

"Hinata Hyuuga," he whispered as he picked another piece up. Across miles and miles of desert, Hinata Hyuuga sneezed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Upholding Tradition**

**Chapter Three**

_**A Year and a Half Later**_

A sixteen year old Hinata slipped Gaara's Valentine into her bag and stood. She had planned to send the Valentine by mail, but Neji had burst in the day before with news. They were going to Suna for a "thank you" dinner. Hinata didn't have to ask what the thank you was for. Gaara was thanking Team Gai and Team Kakashi for saving his life. There was no room for her. She had done nothing to save him. Hinata had protested softly at the idea but Neji had shut her down by saying that Gaara, the Kazekage, had specifically requested that she come along. Hiashi further pressed the idea by urging her happily. Hinata gave an exasperated sigh. It seemed that the political-advantage wheels had begun to turn in her father's head.

Hinata shrugged her bag up onto her shoulder, called that she was leaving, and exited the house quickly. Team Gai and Team Kakashi met her at the main gate of Konoha. Hinata dedicatedly ignored the glances both teams, except Neji, were sending her way. It would take three days for them to reach Suna. Hinata only hoped that the heat from the container would keep the broiled beef tongues warm and good. The same container type had worked for her team and herself many times before. Neji glanced back at his cousin, but did not fall back. Sakura had taken the confiding friend position.

"What are you thinking about, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked. Hinata glanced away from the path in front of her to Sakura's gentle smile. "Is the Kazekage's request for you bothering you?" Sakura asked. Hinata glared at her cousin's back for a moment before returning her attention back to Sakura.

"A little," Hinata said almost dismissively. She had been buried in her worries that Gaara had realized it was her that had been sending him broiled beef tongues. She had been buried in her worries that Gaara was angry with her.

Meanwhile in Suna, a slightly scowling Gaara pushed the chocolates Matsuri had seen it fit to give him earlier into give him into Kankuro's eager hands. No matter how many times he had made it obvious to Matsuri that he did not like chocolates, she still insisted on giving them to him. He was slightly disappointed to see that the usual broiled beef tongues were missing from the flock of Valentines he had gotten. Before Gaara returned to his work, he smirked softly. It was possible that the reason she hadn't sent it was because she was on her way here. Over the years, he had become more and more certain that it was Hinata Hyuuga. Tonight, he supposed he would get his answer. With that reassuring thought in mind, Gaara returned to his paper work. After all, he would see her soon.

**X**

Hinata waited patiently for the Kazekage to leave his office. When she finally got her wish, Hinata slipped discreetly into the Kazekage's office and set the small box down onto the desk. Hinata smiled softly as she pulled away. She wondered briefly if he still made that face when he ate them. When she looked away, she jumped. Gaara of the Sand stood before her with his arms crossed over his chest. Hinata blushed brightly.

"Um…" She whispered as she suppressed the urge to poke her fingertips together. "I was just…coming to see you?"

"You are a horrible liar," he told her as he walked further into the room. She flushed darker and nodded. "Why have you been giving me these?" He asked as he pulled the box across his desk with a finger. He picked it up and opened the lid, glancing up at her as he waited for an answer.

"I…um…I overheard you asking your brother what Val-Valentine's Day was. I ju-just wanted to do something nice for you," she poked her fingers together as she spoke. He popped one in his mouth. It tasted just as delicious as it had the last two times he had eaten them. What he didn't know was that he was making that adorable expression again. Hinata smiled. His green eyes were lit up in enjoyment; his lips were curving up just slightly; and there was a small flush on his cheeks. She giggled quietly.

"So why keep going?" He asked as he swallowed down the first bite. She shrugged.

"I thought it would be rude to stop," she muttered.

"So…you're going to keep doing this then?" He asked, motioning toward the box with a flick of his free hand. Hinata blushed.

"If you want me too," she agreed as she shifted onto her left foot. She watched him take another slice out.

"I do," he confirmed with a small nod before he took a bite. Hinata moved to leave the room, but Gaara pulled her back with a quiet whisper, "Thank you." Hinata's eyes met his. Instantly, she felt that he was saying thank you for more than the Valentine's Day gift. _'Thank you for caring,'_ she read in his eyes, _'thank you for still sending them, still caring even after you saw firsthand the darkness in me.' _

"You're welcome, Gaara-san," she whispered before she left the room.


End file.
